Slashdot Mirror
British Health System Looks at Linux
DanBrusca writes "The Observer is reporting that Britain's biggest employer, the National Health Service, may ditch Microsoft due to mounting licence costs. 'Richard Granger, NHS IT director, has ordered a trial of a Linux-based system from Sun Microsystems as part of a UKP2.3 billion computer modernisation plan. The plan could see Java Desktop software rolled out across the NHS's 1 million staff and 800,000 computers to replace Microsoft's Windows operating system and Office suite of programmes.'"
What happens to the doctors who want to keep using Windows?
You do realize that Britain's health system is socialist don't you? Under socialism, you take what is given to you.
We hate Sun,
Sun hates Linux and Open Source,
We hate Sun,
IBM is our best friend,
We hate Sun,
HP likes to help us too,
We hate Sun,
Sun's a pile of steaming poo,
We hate Sun.
etc.
Despite all evidence to the contrary.
Stick Men
Wrong.
.
The bloated cost of health care, at least within the US, is partially due to socialized medical "insurance" for the destitute, such as Medicaid, along with a slew of state-based programs(Tenncare comes to mind). These programs ROUTINELY do not pay full compensation to healthcare providers that accept these forms of medical "insurance". This forces providers to pass higher costs on to out-of-pocket patients and patients using REAL insurance that does pay out in full for its customers, thereby increasing overall cost of care.
The bloated cost of healthcare in the US is also due to the enormous amount of free care, both emergency and otherwise, provided to the reckless and/or destitute(yet uncovered by existing programs such as Medicaid either out of inelligability, ignorance, or paranoia) by hospitals, the costs of which must also be passed on to those who actually pay for their own bills.
AND the truly absurd lack of self-discipline when it comes to health, diet, and exercise our citizens displays exacerbates our healthcare costs considerably. Our conduct on public roads is appalling, to say the least, and the food we eat . . . oy!
Add to this the cost that all medical agencies must incur just dealing with the paperwork necessary to deal with the many insurance providers, underwriters, etc upon whom patients rely for care(often needlessly) . .
And you have a medical system that would not cost so damn much to use if people just paid out of pocket and didn't rely upon overreaching governmental beaurocracies, didn't screw themselves over with crappy lifestyle choices, and took at least SOME financial responsibility for themselves instead of relying upon others(and yes, I mean even a great many of those stupid-ass private insurance companies). Do you have ANY idea how much healthcare your average schlub can buy each year if they pass on the beer, cigarettes, and cola each week? And, do you have any idea how absurd it is to see some upper-middle class family on a six figure salary using medical insurance from work to pay for doctor visits? Why in the hell does their employer even offer that kind of insurance? Can't rich bastards like that pay out of pocket? For crying out loud. I'm in the lowest income tax bracket and I pay out of pocket. I loath health insurance and the filthy providers that sling it around like bad hash. That goes doubly for HMOs.
Also, in case you hadn't noticed, an enormous number of charities out there that exist either as institutions(Salvation Army, for example) or as temporary assistance for a single individual(tell me you haven't seen those cancer-drive collections at local retailers for the destitue cancer victim serving your community). "Society" is already bending over backwards to help people out in need, voluntarily, without a menacing tax collector ripping people off selectively because they have been deemed to "have plenty to give". The problem is the strong-backed stiffs from all income groups who wail and moan about needing medical insurance for some arse-fargled reason. They can damn well buy it themselves, and they know it. They can damn well pay out of pocket, and could do so more easily if it weren't for all the insurance programs that exist now and drive medical care costs through the roof. They can damn well reduce their need for medical care by having some knowledge of human biology and nutrition, and by not behaving like idiots on the roads. They can stop spending money on useless vice and frivolous crap(thereby crushing huge segments of the consumer economy, HA HA eat it Wal-Mart) and save it for their own benefit down the road. Or they can band together and set up healthcare funds, either through work or at a friendly investing firm(that is, if there are any left that are not corrupt).
Involving government in the care of the citizens gives politicians a chance to buy votes and introduces waste and fraud into a medical system already filled with waste and fraud on account of stupid or cro
My girlfriend is a manager in the NHS. The reason why there are so many managers in the NHS is that the staff are - on the whole - just about unemployable anywhere else, and unions make sure that it's virtually impossible to sack the useless bastards.
That was classic intercourse!